here!"
"Late this afternoon, Cap," answered Hoker. "He's a great Chinee, too.He's a sleight-of-hand feller, an' he kin handle dice an' cards any wayhe wants ter. A man don't stand no more show winnin' from him than hedoes walkin' on air."
"Ah! He must be a curious sort of a heathen, then. Did he come herealone?"
"Oh, no. He come here with Young Wild West. You've heard of him, Ireckon?"
"Yes, I believe I have. A sort of dashing young fellow, who can shootwell, isn't he?"
"Well, I should say so! You oughter been here a couple of hours ago an'seen what he done ter three cowboys! He sartinly did take ther starchout of 'em in no time."
"Yes?" and the two-faced man arched his eyebrows and looked surprised."I should like to get acquainted with the young fellow. Where is hestopping?"
"Right down below here. He carries a campin' outfit with him, an' he'sgot two young gals an' a young woman along, as well as his two pards an'this Chinee an' another one. Oh, Young Wild West is used ter goin'about, an' it don't 'pear ter make any difference ter him an' hisfriends whether there's a hotel ter put up at or not. They didn't evenask me if I could accommodate 'em."
Hoker shook his head, as though he felt that he had been slightedsomewhat.
But Cap Roche only smiled.
"I reckon they could tell by the size of your shanty that there wasn'tmuch chance of getting accommodated here," he said. "I don't wonder thatthey didn't ask you. Why don't you put up a bigger shanty, like we'vegot over at the Bend? This place is growing all the time, and the timewill soon be here when you'll have the chance to fill a good-sizedbuilding with boarders. I reckon there's plenty of dust here that hasn'tbeen dug out yet."
"There ain't no doubt about that, Cap," spoke up one of the miners."This is goin' ter be one of ther best minin' camps in ther middle partof Nevada, an' there ain't no mistake on that. It's most placer minin'that we've been doin' here, 'cause we ain't got no machinery ter go downdeep in ther ground. But that there's big deposits down under us thereain't no doubt. I've cleaned up a cool, thousand so fur this week, an'I've got two more days ter make almost another one. I'm goin' ter sendmy stuff over to ther Bend Saturday afternoon."
"By the long route, I suppose?" and Cap Roche smiled in a peculiar way.
"Yes; that's ther way ther wagons goes nowadays."
"Well, I'll guarantee that it will be safe to go through the pass, justthe same."
"How is it that you are able to give such a guarantee as that,stranger?"
The voice came from the doorway, and, turning, Cap Roche saw adashing-looking boy, with a wealth of chestnut hair hanging over hisshoulders, standing there, looking at him.
The villain knew who it was without being told.
"Young Wild West, I reckon?" he said, coolly. "Come on in; don't standthere. I don't know just what kind of a guarantee I can give that thisman's gold will go safely through the pass, but it is my opinion thatthere are no robbers there. That's why I spoke that way."
"Oh!"
Our hero walked in followed by his partners and John Sedgwick.
As the reader may judge, Wild had suspected the man the moment he sawhim looking at the sign at the mouth of the pass.
When he heard Sedgwick say he was the storekeeper over in Silver Bend hedid not alter his opinion, either.
Determined to find out more about the man, he had walked over to thesaloon.
Cap Roche was talking when our friends got there, and as his backhappened to be toward the door he did not see them until after the youngdeadshot spoke.
Wild knew that the only way to get anything out of the man would befirst to anger him.
He had tried to do this, but apparently he had not succeeded.
The face of Roche wore, a smile as he came in, and, giving a nod, hesaid:
"I never saw you before, but I knew you right away. I am glad to meetyou, Young Wild West."
"All right, Cap Roche. I am glad to meet you, too."
"Ah! You know me, then?"
"Well, Sedgwick told me who you were. We saw you looking at the signover at the pass. Quite a sign, isn't it?"
"You saw me looking at it?" queried the man, showing just the least bitof uneasiness.
"Yes, we were over there when you came out. The man who painted theletters on the barrel-head is quite an artist, and he knows how tospell, all right. They say there is another sign at the other end of thepass."
"Yes, there's one just like it there," replied Roche. "I can't helplooking at them every time I come through Forbidden Pass. To-night isthe first time I have been through in a week or two, so I could not helplooking to see if the signs were still in place. As you heard me saybefore you came in here, I am satisfied that there are no longer anyoutlaws hanging about the pass. I reckon they must have got disgustedwith the lack of business and moved away."
"Maybe they did. But if they haven't moved away they will move beforemany hours, and you can bet all you're worth on that!"
"You are going after them, then?"
"Well, such work just suits me, and whenever we think we can do acommunity a good turn we always go ahead and do it. Outlaws don't likeme, and I don't like outlaws. It is the same with my partners. Somemight call us a little meddlesome sometimes, but it is a way we havegot, and we simply can't help it. Are you going back through the passto-night, Mr. Roche?"
"Why, yes. It is only ten miles from here to my store over in SilverBend. That is no distance to make, you know."
"That's right. Well, if you happen to meet any of the outlaws whilegoing through just tell them that we will be looking for themto-morrow."
A peculiar smile flitted across the features of Roche, but he quicklychanged it and laughed lightly.
"All right, Young Wild West," he said. "If I happen to meet any of themI'll surely tell them what you say."
CHAPTER VI.
CAP ROCHE FALLS A VICTIM TO HOP.
Cap Roche now turned his attention to the table at which Hop wassitting.
"So the heathen is showing you something with the cards, eh, boys?" hesaid, smilingly.
"That's right, Cap," answered one of them. "An' he's mighty slick, too."
"He is, eh? Well, I'd like to see what he can do."
"Me showee velly nicee lillee tlick," spoke up Hop, nodding pleasantly.
The Chinaman was quite sure that Young Wild West suspected that the manwas not altogether right, for he was a keen observer and an attentivelistener.
That made him decide to make a victim of him, if he could.
Hop had thought out a brand new trick with a deck of cards, and he wasall fixed to work it on somebody.
He was pleased to find that he had a victim.
Shuffling the pack well, he spread them out like a fan and held thecards so that some of the faces could be seen by Roche.
"You see um jack of hearts?" he asked.
"Yes," was the reply.
"Allee light; you allee samee lemember um jack of hearts."
Then he gave the cards another shuffle, and in doing it one of themslipped up his sleeve unobserved by any one.
There was really nothing wonderful about this, since there was a thinpiece of elastic attached to the card, and the moment it was released itleft the pack.
As might be supposed, it was the jack of hearts.
But Hop had another jack of hearts, as he needed it to carry out thetrick.
He kept this one concealed in his hand and passed the deck to Roche,saying:
"You pickee outee um jack of hearts and me allee samee showee how memakee fly away."
The man quickly looked over the cards and found that the jack of heartswas not among them.
"I reckon you took it when no one was looking," he said, with a smile."That is not much of a trick; I could do that myself."
"Me no takee," declared the Celestial, putting on a look of surprise."Maybe allee samee dlop on um floor."
He got up from his chair, and then, dropping upon his hands and knees,began looking around on th
e floor under the table.
While doing this he cleverly slipped the card he had in his hand intothe boot-top of Roche.
Then, before he got up, he pulled the card that had the elastic attachedto it from his sleeve and held it so the elastic was concealed.
"Here um card," he said, as he showed it to every one. "Me puttee in umpack, so be."
Roche was watching him closely, for he knew that the Chinaman was up tosomething, and he was certain that the card went into the pack.
But it did not.
It slipped up Hop sleeve the same as it had done the first time.
"Now you findee um jack of hearts," he said, smilingly.
Roche nodded and proceeded to look for it.
"It isn't here," he said, looking surprised.
"You wantee tly foolee poor Chinee," Hop declared, putting on an injuredlook. "You takee um card and puttee in your boot, so be."
"What's that?" cried Roche, half angrily. "Do you mean to say that Istole the card from the pack?"
"Me allee samee bettee ten dollee you gottee um card somewhere, so be!"was the quick retort.
"You will, eh? All right. I'm a betting man, I am. It don't make anydifference who I bet with, either. I'll bet you ten dollars that Ihaven't got the card on me. If one has got it you're the one, for youare doing the trick."
Hop held up both hands and threw open his coat, to show that he did nothave it.
Then he laid ten dollars on the table.
"Boys," said Roche, looking at those around him, "I don't know just whatkind of a game I am up against; but I do know that I haven't got thatcard anywhere on my person. I feel so sure of it that I'll bet a hundreddollars instead of ten!"
"Allee light."
As quick as a wink Hop's hand went into his pocket and out came a rollof bills.
He quickly counted out ninety dollars more and put it on the table.
Roche immediately covered it, and then, rising to his feet, he movedaway from the table and called out:
"Hoker, come here and search me. If you find the jack of hearts anywhereon me the Chinaman wins. If you don't find it I win."
"Lat light," said Hop, nodding to the boss of the place.
Hoker came forward and proceeded to go through the man's pockets.
He did not find the card in any of the pockets, so he went on down andtried the boot-tops.
Then it was that he pulled out a card from one of them.
"Here she is, Cap!" he exclaimed, as he arose and held out the card soall could see it. "Here's ther jack of hearts!"
"Tricked, by thunder!" exclaimed Roche, as Hop smiled and put the moneyin his pocket.
"Mighty clever, I should say," ventured Sedgwick. "Cap, yer shouldn'thave bet."
"I couldn't help it," was the reply. "But I know how it was done. He putthe card in my bootleg when he was looking around under the table."
"No; that couldn't be," declared the saloon keeper. "He put ther card inther pack after that. An' I'll swear that he wasn't near enough ter putit on you after that, even if he had it in his hand."
"Well, that is true, come to think of it. But he got it there, somehow."
Roche took the card and looked it over.
Then he picked up the pack and compared the backs of the cards with theone he held in his hand.
"I lose the hundred, that's all," he exclaimed. "But I'll bet anotherhundred he can't work that trick again!"
Hop smiled.
"You allee samee watched too muchee," he said.
"You bet I would watch."
The cards were laid on the table by him, and Hop picked them up in anoffhanded way.
"Here um nicee lillee tlick," he said, as he ran the cards up his arm ina long string. "Evelybody no do lat, so be."
Then he let them go back again, and in doing so two or three of themdropped to the floor.
Hop was on his knees gathering them up in a twinkling.
Then it was that he slipped a card in the bootleg of Roche again.
But he was not caught doing it, however.
He got the cards that had dropped and did the trick over again, thistime not losing any of them when they ran back to his hand.
Then he suddenly showed the jack of hearts again.
"Do you want to try the other trick again?" the man front Silver Bendasked.
"You no givee poor Chinee um showee to play um tlick, so be," answeredHop.
"What kind of a show do you want? There you are with the jack of heartsin your hand. Now I'll bet you that you can't get it into my bootlegagain!"
He moved back from the table, so he would be entirely clear from theChinaman, as he said this.
Hop let all hands have a look at the jack of hearts, and then he allowedit to flip up his sleeve.
He shuffled the pack, laid it on the table and brought his fist downupon it with considerable force.
"Lere um go!" he exclaimed. "Me bettee you hundled dollee you gottee umjack of hearts in you bootleg, so be!"
"What!" cried Roche, as he looked down at his feet. "Do you mean that,you heathen?"
"Me allee samee meanee," was the reply. "Me wantee givee you chancee togittee square, so be."
The villain had a hundred dollars out in a hurry.
"There you are!" he exclaimed. "Cover that!"
"Me covee allee samee pletty quickee, so be."
Hop did cover it, too; and then, folding his arms, he looked at Rocheand remained silent for a moment.
"Search me, somebody," said the latter, looking around. "Here, Sam! Hebet that the jack of hearts was in my bootleg again. You look and see."
"All right, Cap," answered the miner.
The leader of the outlaws stretched out his limbs and gave the man agood chance to make the search before the eyes of the lookers-on.
He found the card the first thing, and, with a look of amazement on hisface, he held it up.
"There she is, Cap!" he exclaimed, with a shake of his head. "I didn'tthink it was there; I thought ther Chinee was jest goin' ter let yer gityour money back. But there's ther jack of hearts, an' it sartinly was inyour boot!"
"Well, by ginger!" cried Roche. "I reckon I'm done with this kind of agame. The heathen Chinee is altogether too much for me."
"Young Wild West told us he could beat anything there was goin'," spokeup John Sedgwick. "He's a sleight-of-hand Chinee, that's what he is."
"Well, I am not a squealer, as you all know," said Roche. "But I dothink that some one should have told me that I was betting against asleight-of-hand performer."
"That wasn't fur us ter do, Cap," replied Sedgwick, shaking his head."You knowed that he was clever when yer seen him foolin' with thercards, an' doin' them other tricks. You lost your money jest because youthought you was smarter than he was. I happen ter know that a man does avery foolish thing when he bets ag'in a man showin' a trick. That's whatther feller doin' it wants, an' he wins every time, too."
CHAPTER VII.
WILD MAKES AN IMPORTANT DISCOVERY.
Cap Roche nodded his head at what Sedgwick said.
"All right," he said. "I reckon I'm satisfied. I am not broke, justbecause I lost a couple of hundred dollars."
After that he made himself very agreeable to all hands, and when he gotready to ride back to the cave in the pass he bade them good night andinvited them to call at his store when in Silver Bend.
Young Wild West and his partners waited until the man rode off, and thenthey hurriedly left the shanty saloon.
Wild set out on a run for the camp.
He had made up his mind all at once to follow Cap Roche throughForbidden Pass.
He got his horse in a jiffy, and, hastily telling the girls where he wasgoing rode off toward the pass.
So quickly had the young deadshot acted that Roche had not more thanthree or four minutes the start of him.
If he went along at an easy gait Wild would be able to overtake himbefore he got through the pass.
So quickly had the young deadshot acted t
hat Roche had not more thanthree or four minutes the start of him.
If he went along at an easy gait Wild would be able to overtake himbefore he got through the pass.
Our hero knew that he was undertaking a risky thing, for he was quitesure that there was a band of outlaws located somewhere in the pass, orvery near to it.
But he went on without any hesitation, prepared for anything that mightturn up.
The place was totally strange to him, but the boy had confidence in thesorrel stallion he rode.
Spitfire would surely follow the horse that was ahead.
There was no mistake about that.
On went the dashing young deadshot, covering the ground rapidly.
He figured it that the storekeeper of Silver Bend was not going veryfast, however, and when he thought he ought to be pretty close to him hebrought his horse to a sudden halt and listened.
Wild had reckoned rightly, for he could hear the clatter of hoofs ahead.
"Ah!" he exclaimed, under his breath. "That was a pretty good guess.Another minute and I would have been right up chose to him--close enoughfor him to see me, perhaps. But I